Nudge-Nudge

Drop coins into your armrest, for more room on long airplane flights. Each quarter (for example) shifts the armrest slightly away and into the seat next to you. Your neighbor can add his own coins in an attempt to out-bid you. Or maybe he’s real skinny and accepts your bid.

The airline gets the cash. Alternatively, the winning bidder would press a button to release the money to the one who sacrificed space -– discuss among yourselves. The “fat tax lobby” may give a bag of quarters to a thin guy. But the big guy might have a subsidy as well. It’s gonna be quite a match, folks.

How it works: There's a coin mechanism with a knob similar to a gumball machine in operation. The gears connect to a track, on which the armrest rides, along the seatbacks. There's a small gap between cushions, to allow for movement.